The Cinematography Podcast Episode 295: Markus Förderer

The film September 5 is the story of the ABC Sports broadcasting team covering the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It was the first Olympics to be broadcast live, when Israeli Olympians were taken hostage at the Olympic Village by Palestinian terrorists. The sports reporting team, initially focused on covering the games, finds themselves suddenly thrust into the role of live news reporters as the hostage situation unfolds. They have to grapple with the terrifying events while trying to inform the world about what was occuring. September 5 focuses on the pivotal role of media coverage in shaping public understanding of the crisis.

While waiting for financing for September 5, cinematographer Markus Förderer and director Tim Fehlbaum spent three years researching and scouting for the film. They obtained permission to shoot at the Munich Olympic village, to fully set the film in the historical context. The television studio and control room were all built on soundstages. Once September 5 was finally green-lit, Markus had only a tight two-week prep period, during which he experimented with his own lens tuning and modifications. An avid lens hobbyist, Markus took some lenses apart, adding dust, smudges and fingerprints to some of the elements to give the film an authentic period look. They shot digitally on a RED V-Raptor on two cameras, with Markus operating one of the cameras himself.

It was important to director Tim Fehlbaum to create a very claustrophobic feeling within the windowless television studio. “Tim was adamant that we only show what the characters would have seen,” Markus explains. “The TV monitors became their windows to the outside world.” The film blends original footage with real, archival news films and meticulously recreated scenes. Markus wanted the visual style to reflect the era, while maintaining a contemporary relevance. Both Markus and Fehlbaum were influenced by the look and feel of Natural Born Killers.

The use of analog technology such as flickering fluorescent lights and TV monitors became an important tool for Markus to create a state of heightened tension. “If we flicker these monitors, which we use as a key light source in the dark control room, the whole image will pulse,” Markus says. “It looked really crazy, but it was fascinating. We synced it so it looks right on camera. As the tension gets higher and higher in certain scenes, like when we see the masked man on the balcony, we dynamically ramp up the flicker frequency of our film lights.”

You can see September 5 wide in theaters January 17th.

Find Markus Forderer: Instagram @markusforderer

See Markus’ explanation and flicker test on the control room monitors.

Check out Markus’ passion project, CINEFLARES. It offers a library of lenses as resource for filmmakers to make informed decisions for choosing the right lens in support of their artistic vision.

Close focus: Possible tech trends in 2025

Vertical Feature Films:

  • Expect to see more films specifically designed for mobile viewing, with potential for “pay windows” to continue the story on other platforms.

Focus on Practicality:

  • Increased use of older, more affordable technology that still delivers visually appealing results.
  • Rise in specialized tools designed for very specific filmmaking needs.

Lighting Innovations:

  • The emergence of new reflector products like the Betty Luminous Flux System at industry events like Grip Tech Expo.

Potential Decline in AI Filmmaking Interest:

  • Ben predicts a possible shift away from AI-generated films as filmmakers may seek more organic and human-driven creative processes.

Ben’s short end: Let’s Shoot with Pete Chatmon, a podcast about directing.

Illya’s short end: Severance Season 2 coming on AppleTV.

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Podcast Credits:

Producer: Alana Kode

All web and social media content written by Alana Kode

Host and editor in Chief:  Illya Friedman

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Host: Ben Rock

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Instagram: @bejamin_rock

Editor: Michael Dispenza

Composer: Kays Al-Atrakchi

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